Bowl with Scenes from the Trojan Saga
by SARACCHI brothers, Rock crystal, 6 x 30 x 24 cm
The circular bowl was cut from a single piece of rock crystal. The low-gorged foot has an unpolished edge, implying that a support was originally intended for it. The handle in the form of shells, however, was fabricated out of rock crystal by the stonecutter together with the overall shape.
The Saracchi Family had a close artistic exchange with Annibale Fontana, whose compositions and figure types frequently served as models for the Saracchi workshop. In the present case, Simone Saracchi copied the four figures in the centre of the bowl, which represent the four seasons, directly from the respective figures of Fontana in his Proserpina goblet.